Missed and Misplaced
by smlash
Summary: What was going through Shiro's mind when he was dead and in the consciousness of the Black Lion?


He's dead. Has been dead for a while now. His body is forever gone, but his soul remains. His remaing presence resides in the Black Lion. The loyal Lion who wouldn't allow him to get lost. They've bonded when he was alive, enough for the Lion to choose Shiro over Zarkon. But now, Shiro is dead and Zarkon is still alive. And Shiro fears what Zarkon will do with the Black Lion.

_Don't worry_,the Black Lion assures him, _I don't plan on returning to Zarkon soon._ _Not unless he agrees to not harm the others. Try to rest in peace, you've earned it with what you had to pay._

But Shiro couldn't rest. He couldn't be at peace. He still hadn't earned any of it yet. Even though it cost him his life, he couldn't leave the battlefield. Not when he knows that his friends are expecting him to return. He knows how devastated they'll be when they find out he's gone. That he won't ever return, because he's dead.And then it hits him. That he'sdead.But that doesn't really concern him, because he's too worried about how his team members will handle the situation. How will they save the universe. He remembers about how before his death, they promised that they'll defeat Zarkon together. Now he won't fulfill his promise, because he is no longer present in the battle.

All he can do now is hope that the rest of the team can go on without him. As long as his friends - no,family, he corrects himself - are around, the universe has a chance at being saved. That's enough to make Shiro feel comfortable about the fate of the world.

\--

He was thankful that the team was looking for a new pilot for the Black Lion. That's the best wish that he could have asked for after his death. For them to make the reasonable choice of moving on. His lion waits for Shiro to help her decide which paladin is the right one.

_Just wait,_ Shiro says, _you'll know who it is when they confront you._

He remembers how he asked Keith to pilot the Black Lion if he ever disappeared. He knows that the other team members are really eager about the possibility of being the new leader, but he knows that Keith's attitude would make him the leader. Keith wasn't someone who would take his position lightly or abuse the power of being in command. Being the leader is a burden to someone that doesn't have the qualities. Pidge would take too long to intiate a command, since she prefers to make sure that her plan is full proof, which would be great in a small battle, but not in a large scale one. Hunk is a pacifist, so he would hesitate in battle, not wanting to perform an action that may cause lasting damge on the opponent. Lance isn't confident enough in his abilities, and he would feel insecure about the complaints that the others may give him. Allura is a strong leader, but at the moment, she thinks of the Lions as machines and not as actual beings.

Then there's Keith. He understands that being the leader won't be easy. He knows how to make plans right on the spot. He could handle the pressure of disagreements. And honestly, he's the best pilot out of the rest of the team.

So when Keith enters the Black Lion, Shiro tells her that Keith will be his predecessor.

\--

At first the team didn't work well together. They kept arguing, and it was getting out of hand. Not one action could be done without disagreement from another member. It's troublesome, and it's also a liability.

The team is havd a battle with Lotor and now they're separated. Keith feels as if it was a mistake of appointing him as the leader. He misses having Shiro around.

Shiro wants to comfort the teenager that he saw as his little brother. He wants to tell him that it wasn't a mistake and that, with time, Keith will make a great leader. But he can't do anything, not anymore, not ever again. All he could do is watch the rest of the team figure how to navigate on their own.

\--

Shiro knew something was wrong when that thing entered the Black Lion. That thing that the other paladins believed to be him. It looked so much like Shiro, but it's soul felt nothing like his. When the imposter put it's hands on the controls of the Black Lion, she knew it was a clone of Shiro.

A clone that had all of Shiro's memories, but seemed to have a slightly different personality from the real Shiro. After all, it is difficult to remake the exact emotion of a person. The team didn't know that this thing was a clone. They simply believed that it was Shiro, because they all really wanted for him to be there with them. They would never think that this thing could possibly be under some evil influence.

That's why the Black Lione blocks out the clone. She won't let the thing fly her when she knows that the real Shiro is gone from the physical plane. Although the other paladins are disappointed when "Shiro" can no longer pilot her, she knows that she's making thw right decision.

\--

Keith has become a great leader. Shiro could even say that he was better than himself when he was alive. But lately, Keith has been less focused on his team. Ever since the fake Shiro came, Keith gave less effort into piloting Black. He has become absent during battles more frequently as well. This causes the rest of the team to become impatient.

Unfortunately, the paladins need to form Voltron, and Keith is once again missing in action. The only option left is to have that thing, the clone, to pilot the Black Lion.

Shiro is relunctant at first. He doesn't trust the thing. The Black Lion doesn't trust it even more than he does. But he knows that it's the best decision to make at this moment. So he persuades her to accept his clone. And so, she does.

\--

Although he chose to accept the clone as a pilot for the Black Lion, he still can't trust it. There was something dark and unpure about the clone. He needs to warn the team before anyone has the chance of being hurt.

When the paladins enter the psychic plane to power up Voltron, Shiro attempts to warn them of the danger that the clone could pose. But the team is too occupied with channeling their energy, all except Lance, who's staring directly at Shiro.

"Lance, I need you to listen to me,"Shiro calls out.

Lance's face scrunches up in confusion."What?",he calls back.

Before Shiro has the chance to say what he needed to say, Lance is gone.

\--

Keith appears on the psychic plane in the Black Lion. Shiro can feel the confusion at betrayal of the clone that Keith feels, and it hurts him. He explains everything. Shiro tells Keith that he's been gone since the battle they had against Zarkon, and how he's been in another realm since that time. He reveals that the Shiro they were with was only a clone of himself.

Shiro keeps the emotions he feels at the idea of being dead locked away. All the panic, dread, everything is hidden. He doesn't want Keith to find a way to save him from this cold and dark place. In this emptiness. Because there is no solution. He's stuck here for eternity, without the physical comfort and support of his family. Shiro doesn't want to inconvenience them.

Keith is surprised by the information that Shiro tells him about the clone. He's relieved that Shiro is still good and that he didn't actually hurt him. But Keith feels a part of himself break when he learns that Shiro isdead, has been dead for over a year.

And none of them ever noticed.

\--

He didn't ever think about being alive again. He never really thought that it would be possible to return. But it is possible. And the sensation of returning to the physical plane was like being apart of a tug-o-war where you're the rope.

His soul is forcefully ripped out of the Black Lion and inserted inside the body of his clone. He could feel the paladins looming over him. When he opens his eyes, he feels like he's been asleep for a long time. But he ignores the drowsiness and focuses on the joyful faces of his family. The body he has feels different than his original body, which is lost forever. Even though it's difficult to correlate the movements of his body parts, Shiro is overjoyed. Because as long as the team is happy, he's happy.

Since that's all that really matters. And nothing could feel better than a 'Welcome Back' group hug from those he cares about most.


End file.
